Stronger
by MidnightIndigo
Summary: Artemis has overcome every problem, except Orion.  Maybe Holly can help.


**A/N: Hey everybody! I found this in my documents and realized I typed this a long time ago and never uploaded it. I seem to do that a lot these days, whoops. Anyways, enjoy! Set after Atlantis Complex.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. **

I wandered down the hallways, looking for a specific room. I found it—room 444, which was a sign that he was getting better—but when I opened the door it was empty. The bed was made, compulsively neat, but its occupant was MIA for the moment. I frowned and scowled around the room. The walls were bare, and the closet was packed with multiple suits in various shades of gray, blue, and black, with ties and nice shirts hanging at the end. Dress shoes were set neatly on the floor beneath them. At the end, slightly squished (but not wrinkled), hung a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I snorted. So he wasn't wearing those. But where was he?

I stalked into the hallway, my face an unhappy mask. "Where's Artemis Fowl?" I asked a passing nurse. He had to be around here somewhere.

"Master Fowl announced most melodramatically that the food here was revolting and he was going to seek better sustenance elsewhere. He didn't tell us where he was going, and he stormed off before we could ask."

I sighed as the elf disappeared and I spun in a circle, as if Artemis would pop out of the woodwork. Darv'it, Mud Man-

I started. When had I started thinking of him as Mud Man? He was only fifteen. Mud Boy. But even so, I hadn't called him Mud anything in a while, unless I was really annoyed with him.

Which I was right now, I reminded myself. I had to find him, before the little OCD paranoid schizophrenic mental patient killed somebody, including himself.

I got into my Recon vehicle and shoved my discarded helmet over my ears. Using several quick blinks I called up the video mail option to get a hold of a centaur who might be able to help me.

"Hey, Holly, what's up?" he asked as soon as his image appeared on my visor.

"I'm looking for Artemis, he's not in his room and a nurse told me he stormed out to get a decent meal. Do you have any video?"

He pouted at me, simultaneously tapping away at his beloved old-fashioned keyboard. I personally preferred the V-board, but he wouldn't get rid of his outdated equipment—even though he was the one who'd rendered it obsolete. "What, no hello? No what's up, how are you, how's the wife?"

"I talked to you twenty minutes ago, and we covered that and more in our conversation. Seriously, try to find him. He could hurt somebody."

"With any luck it'll be himself," Foaly muttered, flashing me a horsey grin.

"That's not funny. Anything?"

He scanned his screen below the camera. "Nope, not on any of the regular types of places, not in the restaurants in Haven, not on a street, not in a tunnel. I'm assuming you don't need me to go as far as Atlantis?"

I made a face, more for myself than anything else. "Nope, I'm guessing he's not in Atlantis. I doubt he's crazy enough to go near the tunnels, either, but thanks."

"You're welcome. Don't worry about it; I'll tell somebody—not Trouble, don't worry—" he added after seeing my expression, "and they'll find him. He can't be gone, he's in Haven somewhere. Just go home and relax, we're on it. You've had a long day. Chill."

I huffed in annoyance. I was not the type of person who could sit around and chill. That was why I was on Recon. Foaly knew that, of course. I stewed for a minute then exhaled. "Fine. Talk to you later."

I drove to my apartment, yawning. The moment I pressed my fingers to the keypad the door swung open easily, and I frowned. Why was it unlocked? I'd specifically remembered to lock up when I'd left in the morning. I pulled my Neutrino out and tiptoed inside slowly, making no sound.

My pointy ears picked up the light noise of someone breathing. The breaths sounded regular, so the person was conscious, and it was coming from in front of me, in the living room, maybe. I continued, waiting for an attack. There was no indication the person knew I was there, but I couldn't be sure.

There was no door between the two rooms. I peeked inside to see someone lying on the couch. I blanked. What?

When I entered the room I discovered a person, too tall to be a fairy, asleep on the couch, his feet sticking off the end. His arm dangled over the side, pale even for an elf, even for an elf who'd never been to the surface.

I grinned. It amazed me that he could be so white. But then again he was about as active as a troll in the winter.

I spoke into my helmet. "Foaly, it's all good, I've got him."

He picked up instantly, surveying the apartment. "Aw, isn't he cute?" he sniggered. I cut the connection and squatted down to the level of the boy on the couch.

"Artemis," I whispered, poking him in the arm. "Artemis, wake up."

He stirred, turning onto his side. "Holly?" he mumbled. "What's going on?"

"You're on my couch. I think you let yourself in and passed out. I just got home."

He blinked up at me, his mismatched eyes startlingly bright for someone who'd just woken up. "Why did I come to your apartment?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I've stopped questioning your reasoning for anything."

He sat up and I once again felt short, as I always did when I was next to him. Even sitting I was small. I stood up hastily to close the distance. He didn't notice in his state of exhaustion.

"So, now that you're awake, do you know why you're here?"

"I can't say," he answered carefully. "What day is it?"

I told him and he nodded immediately. "Oh."

"'Oh' what?"

He seemed rather frustrated as he replied, "The last thing I remember was going to sleep last night at the clinic. That means that Orion is stronger than he used to be."

"Why is that?"

"I sleep and he emerges. It used to be the electric shock, remember?"

"I remember," I said, hiding a grin. I did remember. All too well.

He didn't notice my smile as he held his head in his hands, his elbows propped up on his knees. "I cannot stand when he is in control," he said in frustration. "I do not experience things the same. It's like having my memory erased. It's all just...echoes."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I know, Artemis. It's okay, we're going to fix this. Trust me."

He looked up and smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Holly. Your reassurances, however unfounded or idealistic, are appreciated."

"You sure know how to thank a person," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Your brutal honesty is touching."

He grinned, half-sweet and half-vampire, and I decided that he was possibly the only person on the planet who could pull that off without looking completely unstable. The irony was that he actually was unstable, and that was possibly the only reason that he looked sweet at all.

"So what's happening now?" he wondered, stretching and yawning. "Will you take me back to the clinic?"

"Nah, I guess you can stick around for a while. Also, I'm too lazy to actually take you back, and I think Trouble would have my acorns if you used my car."

"LEP issue," he nodded. "I understand. Well, as long as I'm here, do you have any food?"

"Of course I have food, genius," I snorted. "Do you think I live off air or something?"

"Very funny. Honestly, I'm starving. The clinic serves worse food than my school."

"And exactly how often are you even at school?" I asked doubtfully. "What could you possibly learn?"

"I'm usually there a week out of twelve," he replied. "And I learn nothing except that each and every professor is a bumbling fool."

I cocked my head at him, narrowing my eyes with a smirk. "Nice. It's no wonder they send you to counseling."

"And with the state I'm in now, it seems so poetic," he sighed. "Food?" he asked pointedly.

I jerked my head towards the kitchen and began to walk, not bothering to check whether he was following, though I could hear that he was. He seemed more graceful than he had ever been, and I was suspicious. The only time I hadn't seen him trip over his own feet was when Orion was in control (athletic Artemis was not, which must've been why Orion possessed that particular quality), but the boy hadn't said a word about fair maidens and slaying dragons, so I had no reason to believe he wasn't himself at the moment. Just to be sure, I spun to face him, putting my hand on his chest. He stopped abruptly. "What?"

"Who are you, right now?" I asked him.

He smiled vampirically. "I am Artemis Fowl the Second."

I eyed him suspiciously, but I knew from experience that Orion couldn't pull off the devil-child look (the same as Artemis couldn't pull off the innocent look) so I kept walking.

I made some coffee (yes, fairies drink coffee). "I sincerely hope you weren't expecting some sort of meat," I informed him.

"Of course not, Captain. I am well aware of the eating habits of fairies. You should know that. I will take whatever you have to spare."

I pulled out some bread and butter. He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

I pulled out a butter knife from the drawer. He reached for it but I pulled it back. "I don't think so, Crazy Boy. No sharp objects for the mental patient."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Aren't you witty this evening."

"I am, thanks for noticing." I spread the butter onto the slices and handed one to him.

"Cheers, Captain," he said, raising the bread mockingly before taking a bite.

"You're not even allowed to drink, genius."

"I am too," he protested with a crooked smile as I chewed. "I am eighteen, after all."

"Right," I nodded disbelievingly. I leaned back in my chair. "So, still have no idea why Orion brought you here?"

"Not one I'd like to share," he smirked, and mimicked my movement. I scowled at him. "And trust me, not one you'd like to hear, either. This is Orion we're talking about."

I threw my hands up quickly. "Yeah, I feel like the world would prefer it if Orion kept his thoughts to himself." I looked at him. "If you'd been looking for food though, where would you have gone?"

"Not here, that's for sure." He held up his slice of bread and my scowl grew deeper. "Though I'd probably be ostracized by anyone I met at a restaurant around here, so it wouldn't be a very pleasant meal anyways. Better to eat bread and butter in the company of friends than feast at a table with the enemy and opposition."

"Fair enough. So, care to go home now?"

"I thought you were too lazy, Captain Short," he smirked.

"You can stay if you'd like, I suppose. But if it gets too late I'm probably going to crash, and then you'll be stuck here all night."

"Your couch is quite comfortable," he shrugged.

"Fine."

He finished the last bite of his bread and stood suddenly, staring at the wall and walking towards it. I frowned at him, my head turning to follow him as he passed. "Um, Artemis? What are you doing?"

"You have a very nice view," he commented, stopping at the door out to my balcony. I wasn't sure why the architect had put a balcony on the apartment (we were in Haven, underground, after all) but I hadn't really cared because the rent was decent. I'd never set foot on it, to be honest. What Artemis could've been talking about, I had no idea. It's not like I could sit outside and look at the stars. But Artemis opened the door and stepped outside. I groaned and leapt up to follow him.

"Hey, Delusional, are you gonna jump or something?" I asked him. He stood at the edge of the balcony, looking over the railing at the street below. There were a few fairies out still, despite the fact that it was almost nine on a Thursday. Not exactly the ideal time to go for Happy Hour.

"Even if I was, there is no way that I would kill myself from this height," he reasoned. "From two stories I would merely break some bones."

"Well that's an encouraging thought." I went to stand beside him, leaning against the railing. "I guess you're not that crazy then."

"Nope, I'm stronger now. The only thing left to deal with is Orion."

"And why has Orion been such a problem?" I wondered.

"I don't know. Doctor Argon's reports say I am incapable of reconciling with the fact that, whether I like it or not, Orion is a part of me, but I'm fully aware of that. He insists that I cannot handle the personality traits that Orion possesses and that is why my mind split us, which is ridiculous. It is the merely the Complex."

"Well, maybe he's right," I reasoned. "Maybe you're both right. It's probably both."

"Probably? I don't know what is causing any of this except for the guilt. This is crazy."

"There's a lot of crazy going around lately, isn't there?" I raised my eyebrows at him pointedly, and his gaze shifted downward to look at me, trying to analyze the tone of my voice.

"I am no longer that crazy, Captain. I am hurt." He held his hand to his heart, wounded.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Artemis. You know it's true."

"Very well."

We stared out over Haven for a while. I guess in a weird way it was pretty. The lights gave the cavernous ceiling, so high above, a slight reflection that made it almost look like we were suspended upside down over a lake. We could see almost all the way to Police Plaza from here. I could just barely make out the flashing lights of a police vehicle pulling out of the area. But while I watched, after awhile he bowed his head and began rubbing a circle with his finger on the railing.

"What's up?" I asked. It wasn't like him to do something so pointless.

"I just-" he started quickly, then paused and swallowed before continuing. "Maybe Doctor Argon is right."

"What?"

"Maybe I'm wrong and he is right about my condition. Perhaps I am incapable of dealing with the emotions that Orion embodies. Because Orion's right too; I may not like it, but he's part of me. I just deal with the world much better. With a bit more tact." He smiled weakly.

"I know. Orion just needs a little help, maybe some social grace lessons. Anyways, I guess you need to consider what the problem is, deal with the emotions you're avoiding, and then you'll be fine."

He nodded, grasping the ledge tightly. He'd stopped drawing circles, which was a good sign. "I suppose I've been avoiding them for so long that it's not easy to actually face them. Denial is not so simple to overcome."

"Think about what you're denying and just let yourself believe it. Whatever you have to do to convince yourself." I watched him carefully as he nodded. He seemed to be mulling it over. A minute later he turned toward me, and I assumed he was going to run an idea past me.

Instead he leaned over slightly and pressed his lips to mine.

I almost jumped out of my skin at the contact, but even I couldn't get away that easily, he held me to him, and I found myself kissing him back. _This is wrong,_ a voice in my head muttered, but I told it to shut it and continued to kiss him. It was electrifying, and every thought in my head scattered as though they'd been shocked. His lips were soft and he kissed me with such passion that I had no choice but to respond by melting into him.

Finally he pulled away, leaving me breathless. "Well, that solves that problem," he said matter-of-factly.

"Wh-what problem?" My mind was jumbled and I couldn't even place what we'd been talking about before. Slowly it dawned on me, just what had brought that event about.

"I didn't know if I actually loved you or not. Orion's right, I do think about you all the time. He's right about a lot of things, I've realized in the past minute. I still don't really approve of his methods of expressing these things, but I do agree."

I gaped at him. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled, and it was a very Orion-like smile, devoid of any of Artemis' more demonic quality. "You helped me, Holly. You made me stronger." He placed his hand over mine and picked it up gently. Still dumbstruck, I allowed him to pull me towards him. I wondered if he'd reverted to Orion in the space of the past five seconds, but I looked directly into his eyes and knew that he was himself. He was cured completely. Orion was gone.

And that was about the moment that we started kissing again.

**A/N: Sorry if the ending was somewhat out of character, specifically Holly, I realized while working on this that I hadn't finished, though I could've sworn I had. Either way, hope you liked it! Feedback is always appreciated. (:**

**Man, now I wanna go read Artemis Fowl. Anybody else hear about how the 8****th**** book is the last? ):**


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